Buying comics can be an expensive hobby. A lot of fans simply can’t afford everything they’re interested in, due to rising prices and the over-saturation of the market with superhero titles.
That’s why we’re here. Every week, the Multiversity staff is asked “What would you buy this week if you couldn’t go over $20?” and shares their reasons why, in order to help others who might have similar tastes make their own decisions in buying comics on a budget. Be sure to leave your own picks in the comments!
Leo’s Picks:
Chew #59 ($3.99) – The penultimate issue. I don’t quite know how Layman and Guillory will tie things up nicely in just two issues, but if anyone can do it, they can. When “Chew” is finally gone, it will be sorely missed.
Birthright #20 ($2.99) – “Birthright” is always a solid book every month. As Earth and Terrenos collide in big ways in these last couple of issues, the story is really getting more and more action packed. How Mikey and his family deal with this should be very interesting to watch.
Lake of Fire #3 ($3.99) – The first issue of “Lake of Fire” was found wanting, in my opinion. The second won me back a bit. This third will really help to make or break the book for me, so here’s hoping it’s a good issue. The premise still remains one that is immediately interesting to me, but we’ll see if the execution really lives up to it.
Postal #16 ($3.99) – We all know that I love “Postal” something fierce. This arc has been another really good one so far, with the town of Eden banding together to help a former member of the Aryan Nation kill his old gang members. The way Hill and Goodhart are handling the potentially sensitive subject matter is really good, not to mention making for a solid story.
Total: $14.96. I’m all about those Image books this week, it seems.
Brian’s Picks:
Vigilante: Southland #1 ($3.99) – I love what DC is doing with their miniseries that fall outside of the ‘Rebirth’ tag, allowing some of the characters along the margins get a chance at the spotlight. Vigilante has a long and storied history, and this appears to be an entirely new take on the character. I’m excited to see what they have in store.
Disney Giant Halloween Hex #1 ($5.99) – Sometimes, you’ve gotta buy comics for the kiddies.
The Vision #12 ($3.99) – The King/Walta Vision epic wraps up here – if you haven’t been reading this, I don’t know what to say to you.
Bloodshot USA #1 ($3.99) – I try to give all Valiant books a shot, and this premise – Bloodshot infecting millions of people – seems like a fun place to spend 20 or so pages.
Total: $17.96
Matthew’s Picks:
Wonder Woman #9 ($2.99) – Rucka’s Wonder Woman saga continues to evolve with “The Lies”, and with the saga of the Cheetah seemingly done with, I’m interested to see what a return to the storyline will reveal in regards to the truth.
(Side note: there’s also a 75th Anniversary One-Shot out this week with work by folks like Rafael Albuquerque, Cliff Chiang, Renae de Liz and Gail Simone that’s worth nabbing if you’ve got the extra scratch — but at $7.99 it’s a bit expensive, I’ll admit.)
Chew #59 ($3.99) – The penultimate issue of “Chew.” It seems like only yesterday our site was launching and the first issue of this weird series came out, helming the entire Image revival. It’s kind of bittersweet to see it getting to this point, but I’m excited none the less.
The Vision #12 ($3.99) – The final issue of King and Walta’s Vision is here. I’m admittedly terrified as to what it will involve.
The Ultimates #12 ($3.99) – I don’t know if you’ve been appropriately beaten over the head with how amazing this series is at this site. Good thing I’m here to do that now. tl;dr: if you have not been reading “The Ultimates” since “Secret Wars” ended and you enjoy, in any capacity, world-building on a cosmic scale, you’ve got some binge reading to do with the final issue of the first volume out this week. Get to it.
Continued below
Bloodshot USA #1 ($3.99) – Valiant has been doing some amazingly consistent work as of late, and Jeff Lemire’s wild Bloodshot saga (which largely seems to revolve around plot ideas of, “What if we did this? Yeah, why not.”) continues to grow as everyone in New York becomes Bloodshot. Because yeah, why not.
Total: $18.95 – Cutting it close, but it’s a good week for endings and beginnings.
Greg’s Picks:
Black Widow v1 – SHIELD’s Most Wanted ($17.99) – With cinematic Black Widow Scarlett Johansson still interested in making a solo film starring the Russian super spy, someone needs to get this trade into her hands immediately. Why? Because Samnee, Waid, and company tell a Black Widow story that does everything modern blockbusters say they do but never actually pull off: tell an engaging story with incredible visuals and solid character beats. I know I’m knocking at least three or four other comics off my list this week by picking this book, but with comicbooking as strong as what’s on display here? Totally worth it. Your move, ScarJo!
The Vision #12 ($3.99) – Despite what you might think if you judged writer Tom King’s writing just from his work on the main “Batman” title right now, the guy is one of the best writers working at the Big Two right now. And Exhibit A in making that case is and has been this series. People throw around the term “Vertigo-like” a lot, but using it here makes total sense, as King channels early “Shade”-era Milligan to give us a look at the synthetic Avenger that’s one part David Lynch, one part Breaking Bad, and (thanks to artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta) all parts extraordinarily well told. Look for this short series to be a legitimate awards contender in 2017!
Total: $21.98
Mark’s Picks:
Complete Peanuts Boxset ($49.99) — This was a tough week to pick. There’s a bunch on single issues I wanted to mention, also “The World of Edena”, the first of Dark Horse’s Mœbius Library Editions, but I can’t go past Fantagraphics final “Peanuts” boxset.
“Peanuts” was the first comic I ever read—there used to be little cards with the characters in Weet-Bix boxes. I also had the complete collection of “Charlie Brown’s ‘Cyclopedia,” which effectively sucked me in to spending hours hunched over an encyclopedia.
I’ve been buying each of “The Complete Peanuts” volumes as they came out and this marks the end of that journey. A comic spanning 1950 to 2000, I think of Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” as one of the greatest piece of art in the latter half of the 20th Century. Is that enough of a recommendation?
Total: $49.99.
Vince’s Picks:
At the Shore GN ($19.99) – This comic by Jim Campbell (the “Over the Garden Wall” guy) has taken several years to finish, as it was being released as individual issues in a sporadic fashion. Finally we get it all in one piece, in a handsome looking collection. “At the Shore” features the same kind of imagination and whimsy that you may know from “Over the Garden Wall”, with just the right mix of realism and young adulthood thrown in. Though it appears unassuming on its surface, there are a lot of surprises (monsters, even?) along the way.
Total: $19.99
Matt’s Picks:
World of Edena ($49.99) – Breaking the budget for this one, but the initial offering from Dark Horse’s Moebius Library is too good to pass up. Here we find the legendary cartoonist going for a more linge claire-style strip (so more toward “The Incal” than “Arzach”), which is definitely my preferred style. Even if it didn’t have some crazy neat visuals and psychedelic plotting, this would still be worth having in your collection.
Total: $49.99. …worth it.
